Velazquez and The Surrender of Breda

Behind the famous painting by Diego Velázquez lies a rich story of the artist''s life in art

What began as propaganda art to celebrate a rare Spanish victory in the Eighty Years'' War with Holland, The Surrender at Breda is today recognized as Velázquez''s narrative masterpiece.

Breda is packed with vivid military detail—whole armies are suggested on the huge canvas, twelve feet high and eleven feet...